Method of stabilizing adjacent vertebrae with rotating, lockable, middle-expanded intervertebral disk stabilizer

Abstract

A method of stabilizing adjacent vertebrae is disclosed using a middle-expanded, removable disk implant. The implant is substantially rectangular in cross-sectional shape with a minimal height and a width greater than the height. The implant is detachably mounted to an applicator for insertion into the anatomical region between two adjacent vertebrae from which a portion of the intervertebral disk has been removed, and once inserted, is positioned by anterior-posterior movement in the disk space to the position in which both the expanded, larger width middle portion and the smaller diameter end portions of the implant engage the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae and the implant is then rotated to bring the sides of the rectangularly-shaped implant defining the width of the implant, with its larger dimension, into engagement with the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae. A lock is then secured to the implant to prevent further rotation thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of stabilizing two adjacent vertebrae of a patient's spine after removal of a portion of the intervertebral disk to form a disk space therebetween comprising the steps of: providing an elongate implant with a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the elongate length thereof and a width dimension greater than the height dimension;   inserting the elongate implant into the disk space of the patient so that the height dimension of the implant is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the patient's spine;   rotating the implant approximately 90° in the disk space so that the width dimension is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the patient's spine; and   securing a lock to the rotated implant to prevent rotation of the implant relative to the lock, the lock having a surface for bearing against the body of the adjacent vertebrae to prevent rotation of the implant to which the lock is secured relative to the body of the adjacent vertebrae.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising mounting an applicator to one end of the implant before inserting the implant into the disk space. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2 wherein the implant is rotated by rotating the applicator. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 3 additionally comprising detaching the applicator from the implant before securing the lock to the implant. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising preventing movement of the implant in the disk space along the axis of rotation of the implant.